1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to cooking devices and methods for automatically emptying the drain/waste water of such cooking devices with minimal spillage of the drain/waste water. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to devices for automatically emptying the drain/waste water of cooking devices that employing moveable collection devices referred to in the state of the art as a “water taxi” and provides for minimal spillage of the drain/waste water and simplified disposal of the drain/waste water. The moveable collection devices of the present disclosure provide increased safety by reducing the possibility of a slippery floor, reducing the potential of food/food area contamination and reducing the possibility of water penetrating building construction or causing mold growth. The present disclosure also relates to methods of retrofitting cooking devices with such moveable collection devices for automatically emptying the drain/waste water.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Already known are moveable collection devices that can hold drain/waste water of cooking devices. These systems are sometimes called “water taxis”, and are often used when the cooking devices cannot be connected or hard-piped to a floor drain system. For example, when the cooking device is installed at a distance from a drain system of the building where the cooking device is installed, the drain system of the cooking device may not be able to be connected or piped directly into that drain system. In this situation, the drain/waste water that is produced by the cooking device is fed through a pipe system of, or attached to, the cooking device, that ends in the opening of the water taxi. When the water taxi is filled it is wheeled to a nearby floor drain, where the water is disposed.
The types of water taxi systems disclosed in the above state of the art suffer from several drawbacks. One such drawback is that when the water taxi is filled with drain/waste water the device needs to be wheeled to a floor drain for emptying. During this emptying phase, the cooking device is often still in operation causing a constant flow of drain/waste water. Drain/waste water will exit the cooking device in normal operation due to moisture from the cooking cycle in the form of condensed steam or as condensed moisture from the food being cooked. Greater quantities of water will, of course, exit the cooking device during the cleaning cycle when larger quantities of water are intentionally used to clean the inside of the cooking device. In either case, the drain/waste water will flow out of the drain pipe system of the cooking device and will fall on the kitchen floor. This situation results in safety concerns due to slippery floors, hygienic issues surrounding the presence of waste water in the environment, water possibly penetrating the building construction and forming areas of mold or other pathogens over time, etc.
Also, according to the known state of the art devices, there is a lack of any indication of when the water taxi is full and needs emptying. Therefore, a need exists for a moveable collection device for the removal of drain/waste water that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the state of the art.
Some of these problems are addressed in a system disclosed in DE 10 2010 017 177. In the disclosed system, the possibility of additional drain/waste water exiting and being spilled on the floor is somewhat alleviated. However, the disclosed system requires that the cooking device be shut off for emptying the water taxi and this is accomplished by electromechanical control of the main controller of the cooking device. Also, the system disclosed determines if the drain/waste water level is such that the water taxi needs to be emptied. However, once again, the drain/waste water level sensor is connected to the cooking device main controller and shuts off the cooking device when a filled state is reached. Thus, the disclosed system requires that the operational cycle of the cooking device be terminated (whether a cooking cycle or cleaning cycle) if the water taxi is removed or becomes full. In addition, the water taxi itself is in a complex arrangement on a sort of “trolley” or “platform” and is fixed on that trolley, has a complex filling and emptying structure, and is controlled in its operation, in part, by the placement of the trolley. For example, the disclosed water taxi has a filling port near its upper surface, and an emptying port different from the filling port disposed on its bottom surface. The filling port must be aligned with an external rigid drain pipe in order to accommodate receiving the drain/waste water. The emptying port is also complex in design, requiring communication to a separate valve that must be actuated between an open and closed position. Also included as part of the water taxi is a complex arrangement for the communication between the emptying port and the valve associated therewith, including a separate drain line. In addition, the disclosed system includes a complex drain/waste water drainage system that includes a plurality of valves that are electromechanically controlled by either the water taxi level sensor, by the water taxi trolley position, or by the door of the cabinet where the water taxi is placed.